1. Field of the Invention
The present invention, in general, relates to an apparatus for handling cargo and, more particularly, to an apparatus to assist in the loading, unloading and transport of cargo in cooperation with a vehicle, such as a pickup truck, and the like.
Utility vehicles, such as pickup trucks and flatbed vehicles, are capable of transporting items which are too heavy for an individual to lift. Consequently, various configurations of load lifting apparatus have been devised to assist in the loading and unloading of heavy cargo items. While such apparatus are useful, usually they are limited to the cargo items they are configured to lift.
A load lifting apparatus that is adapted for use with a motor vehicle should be capable of loading a wide variety of cargo items. For example, the same pickup truck may be called upon to transport snowmobiles in the winter, four-wheel drive recreational-type vehicles in the spring, boats in the summer, and even game animal carcasses, such as deer, in the autumn. Clearly, an apparatus mountable on pickup and flatbed trucks that provides assistance for the loading and transport of a wide variety of cargo items, is a useful and desirable device.
2. Description of Prior Art
Some of these specialized load lifting and transport devices for use with motor vehicles are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,128,893 to Jones, that issued Apr. 14, 1964, describes a boat handling, loading, and transport assembly for transferring a boat between the ground and the roof of a motor vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,794,192 to Monson, that issued Feb. 26, 1974, describes a pickup truck hoist consisting of pivotable supports capable of longitudinal mobility within the back of the pickup truck.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,885,689 to Grove et al., that issued May 27, 1975, describes a boat loading and unloading apparatus with a loading line, winch, stand and carrier assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,643 to Wilson, that issued Jul. 15, 1975, describes a loading hoist for lifting boats from the ground to the top of a vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,927,779 to Johnson, that issued Dec. 23, 1975, describes a car top carrier for boats that includes a pair of guide rails mounted on the top of the car.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,433 to Reed, that issued Aug. 3, 1976, describes a self loading and carrying apparatus with a load carrying platform that is slidable on supporting members.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,440 to James, that issued Dec. 16, 1980, describes an apparatus for transferring a load into and out of the bed of a pickup truck by the use of a horizontally moveable boom structure and winch.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,788 to Sutton, that issued Jun. 23, 1981, describes a vehicle mounted carriage and elevating apparatus.
While the structural arrangements of the above described devices, at first appearance, have similarities with the present invention, they differ in material respects. These differences, which will be described in more detail hereinafter, are essential for the effective use of the invention and which admit of the advantages that are not available with the prior devices.